Dell Inspiron 3650 vs. Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Inspiron_3650.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3090_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen 10 i3/i5/i7/i9; Pentium
ChipsetH110Q470
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR4-2666
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s2666 MT/s
RAM max16 GB64 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;Display Port 1.4a; HDMI 1.4b;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;
Optional portsN.A.HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA;
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 9.5mm3.5in; 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU240 W260 W
Weight7.40 kg (16.30 lb)6.50 kg (14.33 lb)
Released20162021
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your particular power supply model has enough power. Additionally some PSUs don't come with an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to buy a SATA to PCIe power adapter.

Differences between Dell Inspiron 3650 and Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower which was released in 2021. The Dell Inspiron 3650 is older and entered production in 2016.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

Processor

Usually the newer the generation of the CPU, the better the performance and efficiency is. If your budget allows it, you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Inspiron 3650 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 RAM). Usually two RAM slots are more than enough for most cases. However, the count should be taken into account when planning how much and what combination of RAM you are going to need for your system.

The Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3650 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3650 can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower has 8 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 3650 is inferior in this regard and packs 6 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower has a DisplayPort. The Dell Inspiron 3650 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Dell Inspiron 3650 comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

SATA ports are placed on the system board and it is where you connect your HDD, SSD and Optical Disk Drives. More SATA slots will allow you to have more drives running at the same time. In this regard the Dell Inspiron 3650 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower has 3 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower. Sadly, the Dell Inspiron 3650 has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

Make sure that the available M.2 slot supports the PCIe (also called NVMe) interface. This is important as there are M.2 slots which support only the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III interface has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Dell Inspiron 3650 comes with a decent 240 Watt PSU, but the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 260 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Dell_Inspiron_3650_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3090_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout